Field of Invention
This invention relates to climate control systems for buildings used to house animals, and more particularly to an animal house environment control system with multiple levels of redundancy.
Description of Related Art
In buildings that are used to house animals such as poultry, swine or livestock, it is important to maintain a desired building climate. A well-controlled environment involves monitoring and regulating the temperature, relative humidity and air quality in the building. For example, properly controlled temperatures enable animals to use feed for growth rather than for body heat. A properly heated animal house results in lower feed costs and increased animal productivity. Additionally, control over the level of humidity in the building is necessary because excess humidity contributes to animal discomfort and promotes the growth of harmful air born bacteria that can cause respiration diseases. Having an elevated humidity level in the animal house may also lead to more frequent changes of bedding and litter which increases production costs.
To maintain the proper climate in the animal building, various heaters and ventilation fans are used as necessary to maintain the desired temperature and humidity. It is known to use a control unit to automatically control operation of the heaters and ventilation fans located within the building. Sensing devices, such as temperature sensing devices, are used to provide the necessary information to the control unit to enable such automatic control.
Improper operation of any of the heaters or ventilation fans can lead to undesirable and even dangerous conditions in the animal building. Typically, the control systems for animal buildings have limited backup capability that offers reduced functionality in terms of what the system is capable of when compared to regular operations. Often the backup systems must be separately purchased and then wired in conjunction with the normal relay that is actuated by the control system.
It is the aim of the present invention to provide a more robust climate control system with multiple levels of redundancy.